Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara will be sidelined until September or October after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, boss Unai Emery has confirmed.
Kamara was substituted in the 65th minute of Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United last Sunday, as they failed to climb back above Tottenham and into the Premier League’s top four.
On Monday, reports claimed Kamara – who has played a key role in Villa’s push for Champions League football – had ruptured his ACL and would play no further part this season.
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Villa simply said Kamara had suffered a “significant” injury which required specialist treatment, but on Friday, Emery was able to offer a more detailed timeline for his recovery.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Fulham, Emery said: “The most difficult thing for players, as people, is when they are injured. When they’re injured for a long time, it’s the worst thing in football.
“We had two injuries for a long time, for the whole season – Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia – and now it’s the same with Boubacar Kamara.
“His injury is an ACL and he’s going to be out for the rest of the season. Maybe, in September or October, more or less, he will be back.”
The boss confirms that Diego Carlos has picked up a hamstring injury and will be out for three to four weeks.
On Boubacar Kamara, Emery adds: “When [a player] is injured, and for a long time, it is the worst.” pic.twitter.com/x0vT12WQO1
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 16, 2024
Kamara is the third Villa player to suffer an ACL problem this season, with Mings and Buendia suffering similar issues in August.
Reports had suggested Mings could make a sooner-than-expected return, which would have provided Villa with a major boost after Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos were also sidelined for around a month.
Emery, however, does not expect to have either player available this campaign, saying: “They are always in our minds. They support us every day at the training ground and it’s very important.
“They are going to be out all season. Hopefully they can come back to train with the group at the end of the season and start next season completely fine to play.”
Emery: “I believe in the players we have in the squad.
“We started [the season] without Emi Buendía and only one match with Tyrone Mings, four months without Álex Moreno and Jacob Ramsey, and we got the performances to be in the position that we are.” pic.twitter.com/iSZkUgPXw6
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 16, 2024
